The market season here starts with the early tazettas , paperwhites and other forms of these very fragrant multis . The newer forms , the superb Tahi and Toru from the Hamilton / Welch breeding have had excellent market reception and are now well finished in our area . Erlicheer , – always a good seller with it,s strong fragrance , is now moving nicely .
WHITE PEARL
WHITE PEARL sporting fromERLICHEER .
Every season I find a few WHITE PEARL – , a recognised sport of Erlicheer , flowering amongst the Cheer . It is never the same plants , and is always from a clump of established Cheer . Others have isolated these sports and have stable lines of White Pearl .
EMERALD MONARCH .
EMERALD MONARCH 8W – GW , is another very earlyflower from John Hunter . It is from GRAND MONARQUE – X – EMERALD SEA .The characteristics tend towards the tazetta influence and John has registered it as a Div 8 .It has an absolutely delightful fragrance , sweet and not overpowering .
LIMEQUILLA – X – EMERALD SEA JAH 31 / 96
JAH 31 / 96 , Limequilla – x – Emerald Sea is another with a mixed pedigree , but two lines of Jonquilla influence mean it should be coded 7 W – GWW . The background to this fine flower shows a few other John Hunter early seedlings and a very tidy garden .The pegs are all very neat and this scene will recall happy and enjoyable times to many visitors who have enjoyed the Hunter hospitality and flowers .
Makes me want to take another trip to NZ. One of my best vacations ever. Really enjoyed all the daffodil breeders Teri and I met.
Hi John,
Glad you are doing well with sales of Tahi and Toru. I have countless clones of that size in various colors now. Their polyploidy gives them great size of cluster and stem/plant for picking. I have some seeds of this same early polyploid breeding that I would like to send you. Also seeds of colorful fertile tetraploid poetaz that I have developed.
If you would like some, please remind me of your address! I have had good success sending seeds legally to your country.
I recall your reference to the Chinese Sacred Lily (N tazetta var chinensis) a few years back. Contrary to all published info from Chinese research institutions etc., it is NOT sterile, I have found I can get seed from it, actually surprisingly easy, the only obstacle is waiting for temperatures of 80 degrees F or above (DRY conditions, offshore wind flow so none of the usual heavily moisture laden ocean influence) and then repollinating it 3 days in succession, using other tazettas especially polyploids. It is definitely more warm-climate loving even above and beyond other tazettas, as I have a friend who grows them very successfully in Oaxaca, Mexico, where other tazettas I have given him like Erlicheer have failed. He says they are vastly bigger plants in all respects than here, with immense broad leaves, stems twice as tall as here and up to 15 flowers per stem! They flower there in summer, June-August, as that it is their rainy season. As they came from me I know the i.d.is correct.
I have a colchicine-induced hexaploid conversion of CSL which I crossed pollen from onto Autumn Colors. There are 3-4 clones all making fertile pollen and setting some seed.
Doing all I can to breed its unique and outstanding fragrance into other tazettas!
Bill,
Autumn colours from seed you sent some years ago are bringing great winter pleasure at our place. Mostly Y-R and W-Y with up to five florets per stem.
Dave
Dave, If you want the two types of seeds offered above, give me your address again as there are plenty for all!